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Green chat: Will tiger tourism help conservation?
Published on Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 02:12, Updated on Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 17:53 in Sci-Tech section
Tags: Green Chat, Citizen
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As tiger populations crash across the country, a vital question is can tourism pump in the much-needed money into wild habitats and local people in a responsible manner to help in the conservation of the tiger?
That's the question we are asking in this month's Green Chat of the Month with Abhishek Behl of Travel Operators for Tigers.
TOFT is a campaign that works closely with the tourism industry round the country. It aims to aid better communication and knowledge within the wilderness and to ensure that wilderness tourism plays a beneficial role in the long-term future of wildlife and India's wilderness.
Abhishek Behl comes armed with an MSc degree in Conservation & Tourism from the Durrell Institute of Conservation & Ecology, Kent University, UK. He started his conservation career with Kids for Tigers Coordinator – Delhi (India's largest schools awareness program on tiger conservation) and has worked with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust on protected area and habitat management research in UK.
Neha: Hi Abhishek, I was a member of WWF and was a part of tiger census in north Maharashtra, but this was some 10 years back. That time itself I found a very reluctant behavior of forest officials towards the procedure. They were least serious about it. I wanted to raise this concern to you because I feel whatever effort we make, that gets blocked by the big hurdle of government officials. Plus, your initiative is not possible without government’s intervention (ie tourism money to reach tigers). So how do you foresee overcoming this big barrier? Government employees eat up everything and don’t let anything reach the level zero recipients.
Abhishek Behl: Hi Neha. Yes, it’s a similar situation in many parts of the country. The Government knows about TOFT and knows we are in the same platform where we are trying to help and assist wildlife managers etc. I would look at the positive side to all this, the realisation that there is a problem and we need to start acting is important. TOFT does not charge any fee to its members. It’s all for free, so what we do is quietly work and that's what gets us going. No money involved no issues are raised.
Saiprasad: Hi Abhishek. I think international pressure helps. Look at the whale-hunting stigma that Japan is facing today. To a great extent, diplomatic pressure for conservation at a higher level can force governments to act. UN needs to play a much more aggressive role in this today. Do you agree with my observation? I would like to hear more on this from you.
Abhishek Behl: Hi Sai, Yes. Whale pressure is an ideal example and with diplomatic pressure many governments act. UN knows about us well and I agree they need to be more aggressive in playing their role. I think your observation is amazing and I must say – people should start playing the pressure game. That’s what TOFT is about – putting business pressure up the tourism chain and down the tourism chain to act responsibly.
Abhijith: Hi Abhishek, I have a very simple question – how much awareness is being created among the rural people about the conservation of tigers and what steps are being taken to prevent poaching?
Abhishek Behl: Hi Abhijith. Good point here and yes, that’s a vital issue which I am trying to work on in these six months. I am not focusing on the poaching aspect as that would be a tie-up with an organisation focusing on anti-poaching measures etc., but yes, in awareness many approach have to laid out where people can participate. I have to also keep in mind the high human density regions around PAs, which can be one of my major constraint. Not much awareness is being created which is not good.
Swastik Chatterjee: What is the best way of developing interest for children so that they actively take part in protecting our wildlife? Like in some schools they are affiliated to WWF and I had personally been drawn to conserve because of such an initiative. How do we go about, I mean, sequence of visiting various reserves so that they become not only aware but also start loving it?
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thanks to cnn ibn for covering the tiger disaster story
when will the govt notify 10 per cent areas as protected
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